


Five Times Fritz Caught His Princess's Smile (And One Time She Smiled For Him)

by mementomoe



Category: Cinderella Phenomenon (Visual Novel)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Delora, Spoilers and Nods to other routes, Spoilers for Fritz Route, Treat, Yuletide, Yuletide Madness, Yuletide Madness 2017, Yuletide Treat, angsty fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-06 04:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12809184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mementomoe/pseuds/mementomoe
Summary: He'd worked as her personal guard for three years, but not once did the Ice Princess smile. At the very least, she never intended to.





	Five Times Fritz Caught His Princess's Smile (And One Time She Smiled For Him)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleRaven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRaven/gifts).



> I just got into this fandom a while ago, after signups, and wanted to stretch my creative muscles on this fandom. Color my surprise when there's a prompt in Yuletide, and it's for Lucette and Fritz. There are several time skips in Fritz's route, so I decided to try and fill in a few. I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Yuletide.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Cinderella Phenomenon. This Visual Novel is made by Dicesuki and Kooriiko, and the concept was originally made my Akirei63
> 
>  _War-Torn Pursuits_ , the book mentioned in Vignettes 1 and 4 is based on an actual romance novella, "In Pursuit Of" by Courtney Milan.

**1\. A Monochrome World**

The princess rarely left her room. He’d learned that early on. She also had never left the castle since Fritz joined the Order of Caldira. However, one day shortly after her father’s marriage, she walked out, her new doll in one hand, and a book in another.

“Where are you heading, princess?” he asked. Fritz gave an easy smile as he spoke.

She had one of her usual neutral faces there. “The garden,” she said. “I want to read there.”

He looked at the book in her hand. It was something about war, from the title. That didn’t seem like the kind of book one would read about outside with a favorite doll, but if she wanted such a thing, he’d gladly follow her. “Of course, princess. Let me lead the way.”

She was quiet as they walked, and he was too. When they got to the garden, she sat down on a marble bench. She set the new doll down by her side. She looked over to the lilies on one side of the bench and took one to smell.

Fritz didn’t know if she wanted him to watch her or watch for someone else. She didn’t much care for Ophelia, Rod, or Emelaigne. He was the only person she seemed to care for. Perhaps because her mother's shadow reached too far.

The princess opened her book and started to read. He tried to look away, make sure she was undisturbed, but he turned around after some time.

She had a smile on her face. He walked up on her, trying to find out what pleased her about this book.

A twig cracked under his boot as he drew close to her.

The princess turned around, her smile no longer there. “Sir Fritzgerald. What are you doing?” Her voice was filled with surprise, not annoyance. Her eyes seemed too wide for the latter as well, even if she tried to hide it.

“You seem to like this book, princess,” he said. “I wanted to know what it was.”

She looked at it. Her eyes seemed to sparkle. “I can give it to you when I finish it. It’s a story about two soldiers who were on opposite sides of a war going home together after one helps the other desert.”

He didn’t know there was fiction she liked, but the plot sounded quite nice. “I’d like that. Thank you.” He paused. "Also, please princess, could you call me Fritz?"

She looked at him. "Fritz, thank you for following me. I know it's your job, but my previous knight used the fact I don't leave much to sneak away." The way his name sounded in her voice made something in him warm up.

He remembered that. His father had made it clear to him to take his job carefully. He sometimes heard the other knights fight about that. "What kind of knight would I be if I didn't protect my charge?"

She looked at her book and then at her doll. "Thank you again. I should get ready for dinner."

It was only later he realized he loved her. It wasn't that moment alone, but seeing a smile helped.

At least, Fritz knew he wanted to see her smile again.

* * *

 

**2\. Sorrow's Tender Embrace**

“Do you need anything to drink?” The princess asked.

It had been a day and a half since he found her again. Lucette disappeared a month ago, and despite the fact her room was still there, it seems like no one knew she ever existed. Well, no one except those two men he saved her from, but even then, it seemed like someone else told them she existed.

Fritz was the only person who knew who she was, as far as he was concerned. She apparently knew some other people, a place for the cursed to gather, but none of them knew who she was. She was just the ice princess, the daughter of the first queen.

“I should get you a drink, princess,” he said.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Fritz, but I want to try and be a good guest.” Her voice was tense. She hid something, though perhaps it was just an innocent attempt to get a good deed. “Besides, the past month, I’ve been helping serve at a tavern. I’m better at these things than I was before.”

That surprised him, but if she wanted to try and help out around the house, he wouldn’t stop her. I have some tea I like. However, the steps can be odd for someone who’s never made tea before. Do you need help?”

“At the Marchen, I wasn’t a cook, but I think I have an idea of how to boil water. I haven’t figured out how to light a fire though.” Lucette seemed honest, but at the same time, she didn't want the help. She must have been determined to try.

He led her to the kitchen and helped her find the objects she needed. Lucette struggled with the flint and steel over the logs, so he put his hands over hers and helped her make the spark needed.

"Thank you," she said. She stayed in his arms for a second longer than he expected. An extra second he appreciated. "I can handle it now, please, head back. I want to do this for you, Fritz."

He stood up and walked back to the living room. The two talked as she worked to prepare everything. The cups and saucers on a tray. Honey and cream for her tastes. The tea into a porcelain pot. For a moment, he thought he saw something in her hand glint when she added the tea, but by the time he went to check, there was nothing.

When the water had boiled and the tea had steeped, she made her way to the table. She poured two cups, her expression unreadable. Since he found her again, the Princess didn’t smile, but she was happier. The only other moment she was scared after he brought her back was when she saw her father and step-family. This seemed like a step back. She hid something, even from him.

“I’ve never made tea before,” she said. “I hope I did everything right.”

From the way it smelled, he was certain she had done it well. Especially for a first time. “Thank you, princess,” he said. He took his cup and took a sip. The tea tasted like it was steeped a bit too long, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Not after she had worked so hard. She deserved this good deed.

She just looked at the cup in her hands. They weren’t as fancy as those he had seen in the palace, but they were still delicate, and had a design on them. Lilies. She was interested.

“The cups are lovely,” she said. “Do you like lilies too? You said you knew they were my favorite flower.”

He loved lilies because they reminded him of Lucette. “They’re lovely flowers, stiff, yet elegant. They’re also on the official seal of Angielle.”

She nodded her head. “I know that. I love them even they weren’t, though. There’s just something about how they smell. They were always in the garden, and just made me feel comfortable.” 

While the two talked, he started to feel drowsy. The tea helped him relax, but this was quicker than usual. Maybe he had exhausted himself at the palace.

“Forgive me,” he said.“But good night. It must have been a long day.” Not that he could remember trying anything more demanding than usual.

She nodded her head as he got up.

He could hardly make it to his room and bed before his legs gave out.

Through the door, he thought he saw a woman that looked just like Lucette’s doll. What was her name again? Delora?

It didn’t matter. This might be a dream. Lucette gave a sad smile. “Sweet dreams, my knight. I’m sorry.”

With those words, his vision blurred, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

* * *

 

**3. Reflecting the Ocean and Stars**

A few days had passed since that dream. Lucette mentioned nothing of it. She was still there the next day, so she couldn’t have left.

The princess loved spending time with him when he was free. She wanted to learn about Angielle.

“When I break my curse,” she said. “I’ll be crown princess again. My time at that tavern wasn’t terrible. Maybe I could learn to be a good queen if I get to know these people. Especially since they don’t remember me.”

He took her to the best baker the first morning after their paths crossed. The next day, she insisted he take her to the best bakery (A separate entity. They had better sweets in his opinion, but their croissants were too dry). The next day was a park filled with the early spring flowers. That day, he took her to his favorite toyshop. Viorica’s shop was quite nice, but he was told this was the shop most of her dolls came from.

“I can get you one, if you want,” he said.

While Lucette didn’t smile, she positively glowed as she looked at the fine dolls, and all their dresses, with careful stitching. “I don’t need any more dolls right now,” she said. “I have Delora, and I don’t need more right now.” Still, she slipped away to look at more of the dolls, far from the counter.

It was after fifteen minutes without seeing her, he started to worry. He was by the main door of the toy shop, but there might have been another elsewhere. He still didn’t know who wanted her so badly. However, when he went to check on her, she was still in the aisle.

There was a doll that looked like her in a silvery blue dress. While no one knew who she was, perhaps this was made beforehand. It fit the very idea of her as the Ice Princess. Perhaps that was why it hadn’t sold in the past.

Lucette looked at the doll without contempt. A smile was on her face as she studied it. “They see me like this, yet they still made a doll of me. I’m flattered.”

It did have an incredible likeness to her, from the way she braided her hair to the glow of her golden eyes. The doll had a smile just like the one he saw on her face. It wouldn’t do to have a dour look on her.

The smile faded and she looked around. “Fritz, there you are. I just thought this was interesting. I don’t want this doll.”

He walked over and looked at the doll closer up. The details were quite accurate, with soft pink cheeks and cherry red lips. The soft pink-red hair even had the same texture. “She looks like you.”

She nodded her head. “The dress they put me in is pretty.”

If she wore that dress in real life, his cheeks would burn. He felt his cheeks warm up just at the thought of the princess in such a dress.

“I’m touched, actually,” she said as she set the doll back. He knew quite well that she was. “While it’s clear they make me out to be an ice princess, there’s still some care to make me look softer than I am. I’m certain some lucky girl will get this doll soon, not knowing who inspired it.”

He looked around. “Do you want to go someplace else, princess?”

Lucette walked back to the door. “Maybe a restaurant, today. I haven’t had a chance yet to try one of them.” With those words, she took his hand. Her fingers laced with his. Something in her eyes still sparkled like before.

He felt his cheeks heat up at the suggestion, but still, it would be a nice day free of his duties, spent with his princess.

"A restaurant would be wonderful. There's this nice one not too far from here."

* * *

 

**4\. A Whole Lying Fairy Tale**

His memory got worse. Too often, he woke up on a couch instead of his bed, or just realized he was around the corner of where he had guard duty with no memory of getting there. Lucette was in the castle. His father and Sir Mythros had made that clear, but they assigned him every job but guarding her. It had been three weeks since he last saw her.

“I hear that girl Alcaster brought to the castle only leaves her room for meals,” one of the knights said.

Another laughed. “What an ice princess.”

Fritz froze at those words. From the look on the other knights’ faces, they did too. It was as if they almost remembered, despite the curse. Fritz knew well that the term was common with the knights before Lucette was cursed. They didn’t.

“Odd term,” the first knight said. “She’s not a princess. Still fits her, though.”

With that they looked over to him. “What are you doing just standing around Sir Leverton? Just because your father’s the head of the order doesn’t make you better than us.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Two-on-one practice? I’ll be the one.”

He remembered that moment, finding Lucette again, after a month without luck. Her asking for his help. He’d never seen her so scared.

The knights were harder to fight two-on-one than those men hired by the witch a month ago. Still, he was victorious after a good five minute spar.

He continued the practice until they were finished for the day. The sun was low on the horizon. As he walked back to his room in the barracks, as his father had insisted recently, he saw Lucette walking. Dinner had not yet come, and it was nowhere near her room. She had two knights escorting her.

Well, it was free time, so he followed idly, and realized where they were headed. The library. Lucette told the knights to stay outside while she got some books.

Fritz couldn't stop himself, he quietly slipped in and saw her walk up to Emelaigne. She handed Lucette a few thin books.

Emelaigne had a smile on her face as she did so. “I don’t know why you haven’t read these books, Miss Lucette. They are important for our kingdom, espeically with the curse several suffer.”

“My mother didn’t like them, so they weren’t in my home,” Lucette said. She had a forced smile on her face, trying to be someone she wasn’t. “I didn’t have the freedom at the time to look elsewhere. However, there’s a lot of people who are cursed. I want to try and understand their stories.”

Emelaigne smiled. “If there are any in particular you want that aren’t in this pile, let me know.”

Lucette looked at the books and nodded. “These are fine for now. Thank you, Princess, for letting me use your copies.”

“Any time Lucette. I want to see if I can check on Viorica before dinner. She’s a good friend of mine, and I love speaking with her. I want to ask her something.”

With that Emelaigne left. Lucette’s forced smile disappeared.

“Do you still resent her?” Fritz asked. He didn’t realize he actually spoke until she turned around.

“Fritz, what are you doing here?” She nearly dropped the books before she set them onto a table. “I'm sorry. I have been busy since Sir Alcaster and Sir Mythros brought me back.”

It had sounded like it was the opposite of busy, if the knights’ gossip was right. The way she curled into herself as she spoke made him suspect that it was true as well. She hadn’t been busy. Just a glorified hostage.

He needed a lie for why he was here. “It’s a shame you’ve been busy. I guess it’s good that I came here. That book you recommended me last summer, I never had a chance to read it.” That was true. “Do you think it is in the library?”

She looked around. “It should be.”

With those words, she walked off in one direction. Perhaps she remembered where she found it. Her hands brushed against a bookshelf as she looked at the titles. “ _War-Torn Pursuits_. That’s the book.” She pulled out a book with a blue-linen cover. It wasn’t a thick tome, but it was thicker than the fairy-tale books on the desk. “I’ll tell Sir Mythros I loaned it to you, in case anyone questions why you have a book from the royal library.”

“Sir Mythros?” he asked. "Does he know who you are?"

"He believes me when I say i"m the princess," Lucette said as she gave him the book. “Be sure to give it back when you’re done. I hope you enjoy it.”

He thought about taking it back to his room, but decided against it. He sat down in a red chair and opened the book carefully. Before Fritz could start the first chapter, Lucette picked up the books and made her way towards the door.

“Why are you leaving?”

“Dinner is in a few hours. I should clean up. Besides, I don’t want anyone but you and Emelaigne to know that I—”

He interrupted her. “Stay, please. We haven’t seen each other in weeks.”

She looked at the books in her hand. “I’ve seen you, Fritz.”

It must have been during those lapses in his memory. Or maybe she just saw him with the other guards while she went to get meals with her family. Either way, it wasn’t reciprocated. “Then I have not seen you. I don’t know how you deal with everything. You’re home, but you’re still cursed. You seem to get along with Princess Emelaigne.” It was a conversation change. Especially since the way she mentioned him knowing about her reading the fairy tales seemed forced. What had he done that made her worry?

“I always thought she was stuck up, but she helped me find these books without question.” Lucette picked up the books from the table. She moved to a couch and opened one of the books. “She has no reason to be nice to me, not anymore, so I must have been wrong.”

The way she spoke made it clear that it was something hard for her to admit, but at the same time, there was that attempt to change.

They read together. It was quiet, but her presence was warm and sorely needed. He missed the week they spent together before she returned. The book was as she said all those months ago. A tale of two knights going to one’s home after she helped the other desert the other, losing side.

She didn’t tell him that the two fell in love along the way.

He was halfway through when he felt tired. He looked up, and was about to speak, but he saw the princess with that same smile, all those months ago when she read the book in his hands. She was lost in thought, but seemed to enjoy the story.

“Princess,” he heard Sir Mythros say. When had he shown up? “You should be getting ready for dinner. That dress is not appropriate for such a night. Why not wear that red dress?”

Fritz liked the blue and white dress on her. While she was a princess, it wasn’t something inappropriate. Blue fit Lucette better than red, as far as clothes went.

She shut the book in her hand. _Little Red Riding Hood_. “Yes, Sir Mythros.”

For a moment, Lucette had a troubled look on her face. What was it that bothered her about Sir Mythros? He was the one who brought her back, and he also clearly believed her claims. More than his father did.

Hesitantly, Lucette took a few of the fairy tale books by her side and handed them to Fritz. “Please keep these safe. We can sit and read together again.”

What bothered her so much? What had he done that made her so worried about handing these books over?

Still, he’d keep them safe. He picked up _War-Torn Pursuits_ and the fairy tales. “Some other time, then, Princess. It was a pleasure.”

She left.

Out of curiosity, he flipped through the titles of the books.  _Alice in Wonderland_ ,  _Rapunzel_ ,  _Peter Pan_ , and that same book she was partway through,  _Little Red Riding Hood_.

For a moment, he couldn’t stop himself. Maybe he could rest for a moment before dinner. His eyes closed.

He woke up in his bed. He looked around for the books. All of them were broken. Ripped in half, pages torn. Covers bent. He couldn’t return these books to Lucette, or even let her know what happened.

He couldn’t remember what caused this to happen to the books.

His memory was definitely getting worse.

* * *

 

**5\. The Only Reason You Have to Stay**

He’d given up on seeking Lucette’s hand long ago, well before her curse started. Fritz could either be a lover or her knight. He decided on the latter. Because of that, he swore he would never be jealous of another man for time spent with her.

Despite everything, Fritz was jealous.

He was jealous of himself. Of Varg. He didn’t realize just how right the princess had been when, last week, she told him he was cursed. After Rod and Emelaigne disappeared.

Lucette telling him, however, made him stronger. The certainty of her voice, despite his doubts, made him try and pay attention to his memory, fill in the missing pieces. He woke up on Lucette’s birthday, only to remember a hazy scene. A dark hallway he knew he hadn’t been in. A crystal. Since then, he was aware of Varg. He could try and fight this other side of him.

Varg was more protective of his memories than Fritz, it seemed. He only held onto small snatches of memories. Odd impressions.

It didn’t help that it seemed harder to stay awake, to try and fight that other side of him. That curse.

There was one memory that Varg seemed surprised that Fritz knew of. Varg had to watch the princess for Mythros. For Queen Hildyr. Alert them when she wakes.

This memory of Varg’s made him want to try and keep fighting and give up at the same time. Somewhere in her sleep, a dream made his princess smile. It was different than every other smile he had seen before. It was genuine, and genuinely happy. He didn’t know what it was, but he was going to keep that memory of Varg’s protected. If he never woke up again, it would be the last time he’d see her smile. At least it was special enough to Varg he couldn't hide it from Fritz. Part of him would live on.

For the moment, however, he wanted to fight on and stay.

* * *

 

**+1 Believe in Me, Hold Me Close, Don't Ever Let Me Go**

A year passed since magic disappeared. Things had changed. It wasn’t all for the better, but it wasn’t all for the worse either.

Lucette smiled more, and she got along fine with her family. It wasn’t a close, well-loved relationship, but she did her best to build on the kindness they had shown her while she was cursed.

The Marchen still existed as a tavern. Anyone could go there now, but it still mostly filled with those who had been cursed. Fritz stayed outside the first few times Lucette visited, since the looks he got from some of the patrons were vile. He remembered what Varg did to make him unwelcome in the past, but thing were different. It took him three months to work up the courage to go in, and even then, he was quiet. He didn't want to upset the other patrons.

Still, after some time, he was enough of a regular that Waltz and a few others treated him well enough.

He looked at the cup of chocolate in his hands. "I wish I could be more trusted. It's been a year, and some still treat me like I'm cursed."

"After what they heard," Chevalier said. "Most worry that you'll make an entrance just like him."

They both looked over at the front wall. While faint, there were signs of a hole that had to be filled, structure rebuilt. Fritz remembered what had happened. It was a brief moment he was in control and in the Marchen. It took everything to hold Varg still, and even then, he could only do so for half a minute. He hurt the prince of Brugantia.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Not anymore.”

The drink in his hand warmed him up. It may have been a summer day, but something about it still demanded a drink like this.

Chevalier smiled. "I would hope not. The princess is part of this place, and you are too, now. I don't think Waltz would like a betrayal like that."

Lucette walked in after that. She wore a blue dress. It was nicer than the one the Marchen had put her in, but it was not the cold royal silks of before. “I have an announcement,” she said. “My father asked me about a tradition of our family. A ball held in my name. I agreed, but only if every person who suffered the old fairy tale curse could come. I know I wasn’t a good princess, and even now, I’ve only read a handful of your former curses, but it would be nice if I could let you come. Listen to your stories. I don’t want to be the Ice Princess any longer.”

“You haven’t been,” one of the men at the bar said. “You come to town often, and the Marchen is always part of those visits.”

She held herself close. “Be that as it may, I have years to make up for. I want to be a good queen, when the time comes.”

Waltz started the cheering in the tavern. Most of these people lived with their curses without hope of lifting them. They should have been on equal footing, lacking the pity and fear their curses could bring, but at the same time, they weren’t. There still were those memories of some of the worse parts of some curses. The time a beast showed up for a night. All those who missed the doctor who disappeared, and what had happened because he had disappeared.

Several of the others made their way to thank her. Annice decided to celebrate by pouring drinks. Teas, chocolate, some even with alcohol. It was almost a celebration in and of itself.

With the news, however, Lucette made her way to him. “Can I have a moment with you, Fritz?”

She had a beautiful smile on her face.

It took him a second to remember to breathe. “Yes, Princess. Please.”

She took his hand and started to move. What did she want? Privacy with him?

“Waltz, I’m heading to the reception in the back. Please make sure we’re alone for some time.”

The former witch nodded his head. He had a grin on his face. What was it he knew?

It was much quieter once she closed the door that separated the inn from the tavern.

“I’m sure you know the usual reason for balls held for the heir to the throne,” she said. She didn’t sit down in a chair, but gestured for him to sit.

Fritz knew well what the ball was supposed to mean. It was held in hopes of the next king or queen finding a partner. He didn’t want to sit down for what she had to say. Not if she wasn’t sitting down. Was this meant to be the end? She loved him, but after everything, he was only a marginally acceptable suitor. Worse after his father was exiled. If this was how it ended, he was happy he could be by her side as both knight and love for a year.

“Except I asked to honor everyone here since the original reason is not needed,” she said. She smiled brightly for him as she knelt down. “Fritzgerald Aiden Leverton, would you give me the honor of marrying you? Turn this ball into a celebration of our engagement as well as a chance to help those who suffered the curse.”

He almost fell at those words. He hadn’t expected her to ask. Especially not after she brought up the ball just then. He couldn’t speak. Not even the words he wanted to. _Yes. Yes I will marry you, princess. Yes, I will be by your side every day._

Lucette’s face fell after a second. “I asked to use this room because I didn’t want to make it a grand gesture. Not in front of everyone. But I didn’t want to wait.”

Fritz knelt down beside her. “No, no, it’s not that. You just surprised me. If anything, I should have asked you. I will gladly wait by your side every day, help bring those bright smiles you share with everyone.”

Her hands wrapped around him and lips pressed against his in a warm kiss. He put one hand behind her head, the other around her waist. Lucette leaned in and they ended up with his back on the floor.

When she pulled away, some unknown time later, she couldn’t stop beaming. “I love you so much, I want to smile for you every day.”

He once asked why she didn’t smile. But now, she did. For everyone. Openly. But also for him. Some meant just for him when they were alone.

“I want to smile for you too.” Fritz could feel his lips curve up into one of his own. "Just, let me still protect you Lucette. I promised I always would."

"You will always be my knight, Fritz," Lucette said. "And you will always be my love."

With those words, he kissed her again. Waltz would probably walk in at some point, but he didn't care.

The curse may have been gone, but the promise of the fairy tales remained. That people could get their happily ever after.


End file.
